World’s largest organic rooftop garden opens in Chicago!

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Twenty-percent of undernourished people reside in cities.  Many people in urban areas experience hunger due to monetary factors related to unemployment and cost of living.  Food banks are working to fill the gap but they are not able to meet the demands of over 185 million hungry people.(1)

Twenty percent of undernourished people live in cities!

Gotham Greens is a brooklyn-based urban farming company that is working to bring high quality food to cities at an affordable cost.  Last week this company opened the world’s largest rooftop farm in Chicago.(2)

The farm is located in the Pullman area of Chicago’s South Side, and is the company’s fourth greenhouse facility and the first outside of New York.  The farm measures 75,000 square feet and is on top of the Method manufacturing facility.  It is powered by renewable energy and will provide 10 million annual crops and employ more than 50 people.  All crops are non-geo, organic and pesticide-free!(2)

Gotham Greens opens largest rooftop farm in Chicago that will provide 10 million annual crops and employs over 50 people!

Chicago Mayor, Rahm Emanuel, would like Chicago to continue to be home to innovative companies and shares that Gotham Greens will provide fresh, healthy, locally-grown food across the city.(2)

If you live in Chicago, keep your eyes out at Whole Foods, Peapod, Treasure Island, Sunset Foods, Plum Market, and Target for Gotham Green’s produce.(2)

The greenhouses have a computer control system that adjusts the environment year round in order to provide optimal growing conditions even in the coldest temperatures.  These methods of growing produce 30 times more crop per acre than field productions.  Gotham Greens recycles irrigation water and therefore uses 10 times less water than conventional agricultures.  Since they are planning to sell locally, this reduces food waste associated with long-distance food transport.(2)

Gotham Greens can provide organic, non-GMO food year round due to the greenhouses computer control system that provides optimal growing conditions!

For the citizen’s of Chicago, this means increased access to organic, non-GMO produce year round at an affordable prices.  Polls are consistently showing that the majority of people in the United States would like their GMO’s labeled.  The 2012 Mellman Group poll showed that 91 percent of American consumers wanted GMO foods labeled.  A CBS/New York Times poll found that 53 percent of U.S. consumers would not buy GMO food.(3)

As more cities incorporate urban farming structures, cities will become more sustainable and able to create more jobs and provide more food to those within the city.

Sources included:

(1) http://12.000.scripts.mit.edu/mission2014/solutions/urban-agriculture

(2) https://ecowatch.com/2015/11/24/gotham-greens-rooftop-farm/

(3) http://www.nongmoproject.org/learn-more/

Lynn Griffith
Lynn is a licensed therapist who enjoys cooking, creativity and enjoys helping other's learn how to care for their minds and bodies through healthy eating.  Lynn has wrote for The Raw Food World News and is currently in the process of building her own website focused on managing mental health through nutrition and wellness.